


once upon a dream

by whyyesitscar



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 01:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19122217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whyyesitscar/pseuds/whyyesitscar
Summary: just some good ol' rambeau family domesticity by way of disney, pre- and post-movie.





	once upon a dream

**Author's Note:**

> did you guys know that way back in the day when i wrote skins fic, i used to write angst, like, all the time. and oh, how the turntables...
> 
> blame (and thank) [@youngbloodbuzz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngbloodbuzz) for this idea, and enjoy!

**i.**

_i know you, i walked with you once upon a dream.  
_ _i know you; that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam._

**.**

“Again?”

“She loves it so much, Maria.”

“There are a lot of things I love but you don’t see me watching them every day.”

Maria smiles anyway. She feels like melting, or taking a picture if it wouldn’t ruin the moment. Monica’s hair is frizzy against Carol’s chin as they both relax; she leans on Carol’s chest with a toddler’s grace (which isn’t that much, in the end). Carol tips her head back to find Maria after a few beats of silence, beaming from her spot on the floor.

Something in Maria does melt, just then. She takes Carol’s face in between her hands, shaking playfully as she plants a kiss soundly on her forehead.

“That’s a lie, by the way,” Carol says.

“What is?”

“It’s the Monica show 24/7 in this house. You never stop watching her.”

Carol pinches Monica’s sides and they both laugh as Maria tries her best to glare. (It mostly works).

“You know what I mean,” Maria grins. “You two are gonna wear that tape out and I’m not buying a second copy.”

“I’ll rent it.”

Maria laughs, drops her purse on a chair and sits on the couch. Carol picks up her legs almost immediately and slips her shoes off, tickling the soles of Maria’s feet until she pulls away.

“Where are we?”

“She just got cursed.”

“Aw, you mean I missed my favorite part?”

Carol swats a hand upward as Maria curls into the cushions. Monica follows, taking advantage of the opening left by the absence of Carol’s arm, and climbs onto the couch, onto Maria, finally perching on her hips.

“Mommy, you have to be quiet when the movie’s on.”

“Okay, baby,” Maria chuckles. “I’ll be quiet.”

Maria lets her left hand hang over the front of the couch; something blooms inside her chest when Carol absently reaches up to take it.

Monica falls asleep half an hour later. They finish the movie anyway.

**.**

Carol prefers the freedom of Saturdays but Maria loves waking up during the week, relishing those few hours when the house is quiet and full of promise. She wakes on Mondays to Carol and coffee; on Tuesdays, to Carol and coffee—the routine soothes her.

This morning, Carol is pouring Monica a bowl of cereal by the time Maria makes it to the kitchen. Monica is trying valiantly to stay awake, but her small fingers keep slipping out from under her cheek.

“Morning,” Carol murmurs. “She woke me up pretty early; I didn’t want to bother you.”

“And are you trying to keep her awake or lull her back to sleep?” She cocks her head and gives a pointed look the clock radio on the counter, from which the _Sleeping Beauty_ soundtrack is playing.

Carol shrugs. “Whichever works first?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Maria laughs. But Carol laughs with her and Maria has never been able to resist. She takes the cereal box from Carol’s hands and sets it on the table, stepping into Carol’s arms for a morning hug. Maria still carries the remnants of a warm bed and Carol hums her approval, drawing her in even closer.

Maria rests her head on Carol’s shoulder, breathing in deeply. “You had time to take a shower?”

“What? No, that’s crazy. I grabbed this out of the dryer.”

“I knew you smelled better than usual.”

Carol’s fingers fly under her shirt, scratching her stomach; Maria tries to pull away but Carol catches her with a wink. She winds one arm around Maria’s waist and grasps her other hand, pulling them both into something that almost resembles dancing.

“Gotcha,” Carol smirks.

“I know you do.”

The tape switches over to the next track and Carol laughs, covering her mouth when she notices that Monica has actually fallen asleep. “I wish I could say I planned this, but god, how lucky am I.”

Aurora croons a waltz and Carol sways with purpose now. She smiles until her eyes crinkle. Maria has always loved her smile (her lips, her teeth, her cheeks)—she loves it because it’s grand; because it’s open and effusive and full. Carol smiles big for everyone, but she smiles soft for Maria. It leaves her breathless every time.

This is what it means to be a parent, to be a family, Maria thinks in these quiet moments. Her daughter is asleep at the table, letting Cheerios get soggy in the bowl. There are birds chirping outside the kitchen window and coffee bubbling in the pot. Maria is safe and whole in the arms of her best friend, her wife, her partner. She never takes for granted the fact that she doesn’t have to raise Monica alone, but to be able to do it with Carol is a blessing.

Maria leans down for a kiss; Carol keeps her for three.

“I’ve got you,” she repeats, serious this time.

“I know.” Maria presses her forehead to Carol’s as the song fades out. Their feet shuffle lazily against the cheap linoleum floor. “I love you,” she whispers.

“I love you so much and all the time.”

“Well.” Maria loops her hands around Carol’s waist and pulls back to look at her, smiling at her bright, wet eyes. “Lucky me.”

/

**ii.**

_and i know it's true that visions are seldom what they seem,_  
_but if i know you, i know what you'll do—  
_ _you'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream._

**.**

“Okay, tell me when to stop.” Carol closes her eyes and runs her fingers along the spines of the VHS cases on the shelf. Her eyebrows shoot up expectantly as Monica draws the moment out even longer.

“Stop!” Monica finally commands.

Carol pulls the tape from its spot, frowning at its blank cover. “Guess we’ll find out what this is in a minute.” She pops it into the VCR and scrambles back onto the couch, squeezing herself between Monica and Maria and stealing some popcorn on the way.

Maria is expecting _Jumanji_ or _Jurassic Park_ , but Disney trailers play on the screen instead. She fast forwards through the previews as Carol and Monica goof off, spilling snacks and almost knocking over a cup of soda.

Monica finally stops squirming at the sight of the familiar castle. “Wait, you picked this?”

“ _You_ picked it,” Carol retorts.

“Whatever,” Monica shrugs. “I haven’t watched it in forever.”

Maria feels the same way; the years in between viewings have brought a kind of fondness for the movie. She smiles at the joy on Monica’s face—less wide-eyed than it used to be, but still there. _Sleeping Beauty_ has become a comfort in memory, a slow and calming trip to the past. Maria lets herself get lost in the animation and the songs, genuinely appreciating them for perhaps the first time.

She almost misses Carol’s gasp when they get to the forest.

Carol’s eyes flit from her to the screen, as if she’s silently trying to piece something together. Maria lets her puzzle it out for a few long moments, sweeping her thumb slowly across the back of Carol’s hand. While they’re both distracted, Monica steals the bowl of popcorn from Carol’s lap.

Carol finally draws a deep breath and relaxes, unraveling her fists and stretching her legs like a cat. She rests her head gently on Maria’s shoulder.

Maria presses a kiss to her hair, squeezes Carol’s knee.

“So much,” she promises. “So much and all the time.”


End file.
